The “Listen Again” series went over well enough here in the L.A. area that your favorite rockin’ record reviewer decided to follow the lead of some Los Angeles TV execs and do a spin-off. In this series we once more examine previously-released albums BUT the platters we shall peruse in this particular series will be (Rolling Stone magazine) FIVE-STAR albums. In this edition we discuss Ringo Starr’s Ringo.
Richard Starkey, aka Ringo Starr MBE, was born on July 7th in 1940 in the UK. Starr is an English drummer, singer-songwriter, and actor best known as a member of the legendary group, The Beatles. (Starr replaced The Beatles’ first drummer, Pete Best, in 1962 before the band became famous.) He also sang lead vocals on such Beatles’ hits as "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Yellow Submarine", and The Beatles cover of "Act Naturally". He was also an occasional co-writer ("What Goes On") and even main writer on such tracks as "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden". (Earlier this year Starr would be honored by Rolling Stone magazine as the fifth-best drummer of all-time after drummers such as John Bonham, Keith Moon and Neil Peart.)
After the break-up of The Beatles, Starr was generally thought to be the least likely Beatle to pursue a successful solo career. His first two solo efforts—an album of pop covers backed by strings and a country album--were considered by some critics to be accordingly strange. While this was followed by a couple successful singles, Starr decided to back off a bit from recording any more full-length albums.
In 1973, Starr decided the time was right to record his third solo album. It would be in his mind however his “first proper solo album”. With a little help from his friend and most recent producer, Richard Perry, a spectacle of an album would soon be assembled around Starr.
Starr’s friends were all called into the studio. The long list of famous friends who would gather to contribute to this project included: Marc Bolan, members of The Band, Billy Preston, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, Harry Nilsson and Jim Keltner. More impressively, however, was that all three former Beatle-band mates--John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison—played on and wrote material for Ringo as well. (The numerous guest stars on Ringo would later become his post-Beatles signature as he would continue to include other famous artists on later albums and tours.)
When the (star)dust settled in the recording studio, the end result, Ringo, would contain 10 tracks containing over 37 minutes of memorable music on the Apple Records label. Released in 1973, the album would open with the Lennon-penned tune, "I'm the Greatest". Few would ever know Lennon had originally written the piece as an autobiographical song. This was a near-Beatle reunion in and of itself as Starr would appear on drums and lead vocals, Lennon on piano and harmony vocals and Harrison on electric guitar. This gave Beatles fans new hope although in truth it would be the closest thing to a Beatles reunion until The Beatles Anthology project in 1995.
For some unknown reason, the second selection on the record is listed as being “Hold On”. In truth, it’s a cover version of a Randy Newman song, "Have You Seen My Baby". Highlighted by horn work by Tom Scott, this cut is followed by “Photograph”, a song co-written by Starr and Harrison. “Photograph” was the first single released off the album and it would hit number one in the US and number 8 in the UK.
Harrison’s "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)" is the next to last number on Side One. It was highlighted by Harrison on electric guitar and backing vocals. The closing cut was Starr’s cover of “You’re Sixteen”. This track included Paul McCartney on kazoo and backing vocals, Linda McCartney and Nilsson also on backing vocals. It would be the second single off the album and hit the stores early the following year. It would be the second US number one and would reach number 4 in the UK.
The flip side would open with the Poncia-Starr track, “Oh My My”. It would be released as a single in the US in 1974 and would reach the number 5 slot on the charts. Martha Reeves and Merry Clayton would sing background vocals on this one.
The second selection on the second side was a Starr composition, "Step Lightly". Starr’s tap-dancing would be included on this cut. It would quickly be followed by the McCartney-penned “Six O’Clock”. The McCartneys would once more provide backing vocals and Paul would also be credited with piano, synthesizer andstring and flute arrangements.
For some uknown reason, the original 8-track and cassette version of the LP and even some of the promotional copies of the vinyl release included a longer version of this tune. Bothe the original pressing and the stock copies had a shorter version if the track. The label on the original pressing of the record mistakenly lists the running time of the song as 5:26. No doubt this led some to believe that the original pressing included long version of the tune.
The next to last number on the album was another Poncia-Starr collaboration. It was titled “Devil Woman” and would be chosen as the B-side to the “You’re Sixteen” single. The record’s closer was a song co-written by George Harrison and former Beatles’ roadie Mal Evans. Harrison would also play electric guitar on the cut.
The album was a personal, critical and commercial success. Ringo would sit in the number one slot in Canada for three weeks, hit number 7 in the UK and would be second to only Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on the US Billboard charts. The album would actually still reach number 1 on the Record World and Cashbox charts. It has since gone platinum.
Ringo would be re-released in 1981. (With Lennon’s death the year before, fans now considered this to be the closest thing to the last Beatles’ album out there.) All versions of the re-release would contain the shorter version of “Six O’Clock” and the reissued vinyl album would have the correct running time listed on the cover. The longer version of the tune was not added as a bonus track. (While no explanation is given, the longer version would oddly be added to the re-issue of Starr’s Goodnight Vienna CD.)
A decade later the album was still remembered. The Ringo album was remastered and reissued on CD in 199. Three bonus tracks were included. Starr’s hit single from 1971—“It Don’t Come Easy” which featured Stephen Stills on piano and Pete Ham and Tom Evans on backing vocals, the single’s b-side Starr-penned “Early 1970” which included Starr on lead vocals, drums, acoustic guitar and piano and Harrison on electric guitar, bass and backing vocals and another Starr-penned song “Down and Out”.
“Down and Out” was the b-side tune to the “Photograph” single. Not only did this include Starr and Harrison but also Gary “Dream Weaver” Wright on piano. Artwork for a quadraphonic version of the album was produced but, as yet, that version of the album has yet to be released. With blockbuster singles like “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen”, the album Ringo/Cap.SWAL-3413 made Starr’s solo career.
My name is Phoenix and . . . that’s the bottom line.
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